Tidal Wave
by The Enthusiast
Summary: Natalie wanted a friend. Lilly wanted Natalie to leave her alone. Fate had other ideas. Not the best summary in the world, I know, but please read anyway!


DISCLAMER: I don't own Hannah Montana. Any of the characters mentioned (besides Natalie M.) are not owned by me.

* * *

Lilly listened to Miley talk about the big math test she thinks she might have failed. 

"Miley, you're such a good student, I don't think you failed." Lilly said with a smile. It was the walk home from school.

"Really?" Miley asked. Lilly nodded sincerely. Just then Lilly and Miley heard a high, eager voice behind them.

"Liiiiiiilly!" shouted the girl. Lilly groaned and Miley stifled a giggle.

"Gotta go Lilly, you're newfound friend is here!" Miley said, and ran ahead to join Oliver. Miley was referring to Natalie Miller.

_I sit next the new girl ONCE at lunch out of pity and now I'm her best friend? This world isn't fair._

"Hey Lils!"

"Would you not call me that?"

"Sure, Lils!"

Natalie was wearing the same purple sweater Lilly had worn yesterday. Lilly turned around to face Natalie and forced a smile.

"Guess what? My big cousin Chris is going to teach me how to skateboard. I'm going to be just like you!" Lilly inwardly cringed. _She says that phrase at least twenty times a day! _

"And I'm coming over today to do homework...and my mom says you can sleep over this weekend...oh and did I tell you Dad says I might be able to dye my hair blond!" Lilly could only walk beside the girl and make fervent wishes for the bubbly brunette to stop. It was Friday -- she'd had to deal with Natalie all week. _If she says ''I'm going to be just like you!'' one more time..._

"And I'm going to be a skateboard star, and I named my beta fish Lilly, and I'm going to be _just like you_!"

"Natalie!" Lilly shouted impusilvely. _Woah, is that me?_

"What?" Natalie asked, stopping in her tracks.

"It's just...well...I..."

"I'm bothering you aren't I?" Natalie asked, her voice so low Lilly wasn't sure she'd spoken at all.

"I just wanted to be friends!" Natalie continued, louder this time.

"You don't have to be just like me to be friends," Lilly countered softly. "I guess I'm saying...well...you don't have to imitate me."

"I'm not!" Natalie replied. _Is she serious?_

"Yes you are!" Lilly didn't know what happpend next. It hit her, like a tidal wave. The next thing she knew, words were flying out of her mouth, and Natalie was looking at her, stunned.

"You're always following me to and from school, you bought a skateboard AND a sweater just like mine, you name your fish after me, you want to learn skateboarding, and now you WANT TO DYE YOUR HAIR BLONDE!" At this point, Lilly was shouting, and Oliver and Miley, far ahead, looked back, confused expressions on their faces.

"I just can't take it anymore," Lilly concluded as the tidal wave subsided. She turned and walked briskly away, knowing full well how stunned Natalie was. _Did I really just do that? Well, somebody had to...I should feel relieved..._

_I do! I think..._

_

* * *

_

Later that night...

Lilly was lazily flipping through the channels. Cartoons...MTV...6'0clock news...some baby show..._why isn't there anything on?_ she thought. She groaned in frustration and turned off the TV. Lilly got up and made her way to her room. _I have to do the geography paper sooner or later_. Suddenly, as she opened the door to her room, she felt a jolt. Or a chill. Or a feeling. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

She shook it off. Probably nothing. Lilly sat down and focused all her energy on the paper. The weird occurence didn't cross her mind once.

_

* * *

_

The next day at school Natalie didn't show. _Ah, a break!_ Lilly thought. Later, she'd regret it.

Lilly listened to the health teacher drone on and on about the dangers of drunk driving and achohol abuse. She wrote a few notes, just enough to make it look like she was paying attention. Miley, on the other hand was scribbling furiously. Lilly focused on the teacher.

"Drunk driving is the leading cause of death in America. Millions are affected by it each day," Lilly focused on the clock. Parent-teacher conferences were tonight. She just wanted to get them over with. Besides, it's not like she needed to know this stuff. _Sure, it's sad, but it doesn't affect me._

_Ring! _she willed the bell. _Ring! _As if by magic, the bell rang withing two seconds after Lilly's silent command.

_

* * *

_

"Hello? Hello-o?" Lilly sang as she skateboarded into the house. She noticed a note on the fridge.

_lilly,_

_we knew you'd forget. Parent teacher conferences are tonight, we don't know when we'll be back. Please tape the news for dad. :D_

Lilly sauntered to the living room, unslung her backpack, grabbed a tape from the shelf, found the news channel, and put the tape into the VCR, pressing the "play" button soon after. She settled on the couch and started to pull her books from her pack, realizing halfway through that she'd forgotten to shut off the TV. She groped for the remote, but it wasn't there! Lilly rolled her eyes in frustration and began to search as the female announcer talked about litter problems in the area.

"And now for our lead story tonight, another drunk driving case was reported today. The victim was Natalie Miller..."

Lilly sat up straight. It can't be. _No, she probably means some Natalie from Wyoming or something...yeah, that's it..._

"...killed in her hometown of Malibu, Florida." Lilly's eyes widened. _Well, Miller's a pretty common name..._

The news crew chose that moment to display a picture of the Natalie Miller Lilly knew. Of her brown curls and bright, dancing green eyes. Lilly just stood in front of the screen, dumbfounded.

Her brain was frozen. She was in a state of shock. And in this state, one thought, one word made its way to her mind.

No.

No.

_No._

_

* * *

_

Lilly swallowed hard and looked out to the crowd assembled in front of her.

_You don't have to do this. If you back out now, everyone will just assume it was too painful to talk._

_Yes, Lilly, this is something you have to do._

Lilly quieted the battle she was having with herself and took a deep breath.

"A few days ago, when I saw Natalie Miller, I saw a girl who I actually thought was pretty annoying. But that's because I never gave her a chance, never looked past the surface. Now that she's gone, everything's changed. When I see her in my mind now, I see a girl who was bright, talented, and was just looking for a friend. Instead of talking things through with her, I left things badly, and we both walked away angry. If I'd known that she'd be gone so soon after, I wouldn've said the things I did. But second chances are rare in life, and I don't think I deserve one anyway.

Lilly felt a bout of stage fright coming on, but she plunged ahead anyway.

"All Natalie wanted was a friend. I could've given her one, but I didn't. Of course I feel guilty, but I have a feeling that if Natalie were here, she'd forgive me."

At that moment she felt a tidal wave of emotion.

She was guilty, but nothing would ever erase that.

She felt pity for Natalie's family and everyone who knew her.

She even felt a little relieved, she'd gotten everything of her chest.

Lilly looked down at her feet, then up at the black-garbed crowd in front of her. She managed to hold the tidal wave at bay and took another deep breath. In, out.

"I guess that's all I can say," she concluded.

She walked down from the podium and sat down once again next to Miley who squeezed her hand. Lilly sat through the few remaining minutes of the service in a fog, not knowing what to think.

As everyone filed out of the church, Lilly thought about everything that had happened. _Now that I think about it, Natalie is one of the least selfish people I've met. She'd want me to remember her, but to be happy too._

Lilly looked around her. The sky had never seemed so blue, the grass so green, the leaves so red. The frosty air felt cooling and pleasent on her cheeks compared to her boiling, churning insides. Lilly promised herself and Natalie alike that she'd live her life to the fullest, never forgetting Natalie Miller.

Right then and there, Lilly sent a silent message to Natalie, regardless of whether it'd reach its destination or not. Lilly silently spoke two words. The words themselves were empty, but they carried with them a tidal wave of meaning. They were simply:

_I promise.

* * *

_


End file.
